TIKTOK: A NEW WAY TO MARKET ARTISTS
In only a couple of years, TikTok has become one of the most used social media platforms in the world. Not only is it a place where people can post funny videos and lip sync to catchy tunes, but a great marketing tool. It is now a great way for artists, new or well known, to market their music easily. With TikTok’s unique algorithm, everyone has a chance to be heard.
What are some artists who have used TikTok to grow their musical careers? Let’s meet some!
Doja Cat
In the past year, Doja Cat has made a big name for herself. She began like many young artists, posting her music SoundCloud. She was doing very well on the platform that it caught the eye of RCA Records, where she was signed in 2014. After two album drops and an unfortunate commercial failure, her single “Moo!” became a widespread meme, making her a viral success.
All these events helped Doja Cat’s career, but what pushed her to be a household name was her success on TikTok. Her song Say So, although released in 2019 with her album Hot Pink, gained popularity when a TikTok creator had choreographed a dance to the song and posted it to the platform. The song ended up peaking at number five on the Hot 100 charts and according to Forbes, it is the most-streamed song of 2020 by a female artist in the US.
Because of her success on TikTok, Doja Cat has made a name for herself. Many of her songs continue to be used on the app. She recently collaborated with Megan Thee Stallion and Ariana Grande, and we hope to see more from her.
Mxmtoon
Not as well-known, but equally as successful on TikTok, is Mxmtoon. Also known as, Maia, Mxmtoon began her career like many people with big dreams by posting her singing videos on Youtube. She started young, in middle school, and even wrote her first song at age thirteen.
At the age of seventeen, Maia began to record her first songs and post them to Youtube. She used GarageBand and recorded it in her parent’s bedroom. She had originally set out to write comedic songs but soon realized she wanted to write about so much more. The following year, in 2018, Maia released her EP, Plum Blossom. The album gained over 100 million streams by August of 2019.
What set Mxmtoon's career into action was the release of her song “Prom Dress”. The light and catchy tune were written about her own experiences with social anxiety and self-confidence. Many people seemed to relate to her words, which spiraled a trend on TikTok. Over 100,000 videos were made with the song. It also has now over 100,000,000 streams on Spotify.
Now Mxmtoon has accumulated over 6,000,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. She has put out two new albums. She has collaborated with artists like Ricky Montgomery and so much more. Mxmtoon continues to work on her music and post regularly on Tik Tok.
Conan Gray
Conan Gray is an American singer-songwriter who has blown up on TikTok in the past year. Similar to Mxmtoon, Conan began posting vlogs and covers to Youtube at the age of nine. He continued to make his music throughout his life, self-releasing his first debut single, “Idle Town” in March of 2017.
Conan did well for himself in the next coming years. He signed with Republic Records, dropped an EP that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, performed on the Late Night with Seth Meyers, and so much more. He went on to perform with Panic at the Disco, Girl in Red and played concert festivals such as The Great Escape.
It was not until March of 2020 when Conan dropped his full-length album “Kid Krow”. This album contained songs like “Heather” and “Maniac” which would eventually be popularized on Tik Tok. Together, both songs have been used by over 700,000 on the app. Multiple trends were created for the songs and posted to TikTok multiple times throughout 2020.
Currently, “Heather” has over 400 million streams on Spotify, along with “Maniac” which has a little over 300 million streams. Conan has accumulated over 19 million monthly listeners in the past few years.